[hannay] history of THE QUEEN'S RANGERS 131 



addition to the list of casualties above given, there were many men 

 slightly wounded at Brandywine and Germantown who had returned 

 to their duty prior to the 24th November, 1777, the date of the return 

 from which I have been quoting. 



The Queen's Eangers after the battles of Brandywine and German- 

 town, consisted of eleven companies of infantry; to wit, a grenadier and 

 light company, eight battalion companies, and a Highland company with 

 the national dress and a piper. The uniform of the Eangers was a dark 

 green, with dark belts and accoutrements, this being the best colour for 

 the kind of campaigning in which they were engaged. After Simcoe 

 became coinmanding officer of the Eangers in October, 1777, he found 

 that their efficiency would be greatly increased by the addition of a few 

 cavalry. Sir William Erskine offered to supply him with dragoons when- 

 ever he needed them, but their dress was so different from that of the 

 Eangers, being of red with white belis, that Simcoe deemed them un- 

 suitable. He suggested that it would be better to mount a dozen soldiers 

 of his regiment, and Sir "William Erskine approved of this idea and sent 

 a suitable number of horses, saddles and swords. This little body of 

 mounted Eangers was placed under the command of Benjamin Kelly, 

 a sergeant of distinguished gallantry, who deserted from the American 

 army. The appearance and accoutrements of these troopers became the 

 subject of a good deal of ridicule, especially by the officers of the regular 

 army, but they speedily became =o useful that other bodies of mounted 

 men were raised for similar services in other corps. The Queen's 

 Eangers — Hussars, as they were termed — were in December placed un- 

 der the command of Lieut. Wickham, an officer of quickness and courage, 

 and soon afterwards, when their number was increased to 30, Ensign 

 Procter was added. In 1778, the Hussars were formed into a troop of 40, 

 rank and file, with Wickham as captain, Allan McNab (father of the 

 celebrated Sir Allan McNab), lieutenant, and Quartermaster Spencer 

 of the 16th Dragoons as cornet. The strength of the Queen's Eangers 

 at that period was 388 rank and file. In the summer of 1779, a troop 

 of Buck's County (Pa.) Light Dragoons, under the command of Capt. 

 Sandford, was attached to the Queen's Eangers. In October of this year 

 the strength of the Eangers was 443 rank and file of infantry and 96 of 

 cavalry, including 41 Buck's County dragoons; so that the total strength 

 of the Queen's Eangers proper, was just 498 rank and file. 



In the summer of 1780, two new troops of cavalry were formed — 

 one under the command of Captain David Shank, with George Spencer 

 as lieutenant, and William D. Lawler a? cornet; and the other under 

 the command of Captain John Saunders (afterwards Chief Justice of 



